Home Run
by No1fan15
Summary: It's the final game of the baseball season and Yamcha is determined to bring one of his friends to watch him play. Tien is the only one that agrees. What started as a trip to a baseball game soon snowballs into figuring out just what their relationship is and how they're gonna deal with it. If they'd stop being so shy about it, that is.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story is set after Battle of Gods and Resurrection F, but before the Goku Black / Future Trunks saga.**

* * *

 **Chapter one - Welcome to the Anzen hotel  
**

* * *

"C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Knowing you, everything."

Tien glared over at Yamcha. The two had been friends for several years, and he knew Yamcha well enough to know that he would manege to mess something up, no matter that their original plan was. Today was shaping up to be no different. Yamcha had flew over, walked in the house and started talking about baseball. Tien knew he played, and if he hadn't known that Yamchas team, The Taitans, were in the final playoffs, he certainly knew now, as it was all Yamcha talked about for nearly a half hour. By the end of his little speech about the games meaning, he put on his best puppy dog eyes, and begged Tien to go with him.

"Listen, even if I went, I still don't know the first thing about baseball." Tien argued. Yamcha took a few steps closer.

"I can teach you! It'll be fun! And... you're the only person available." he said, a tad sheepishly. Tien sighed, rolled all three of his eyes, and nodded.

"If it will shut you up about it, then fine, I'll go. But if I don't like it, I'm flying right back home, you got it?" he said. Yamcha beamed.

"Got it! Thanks a million Tien. Pack a bag, and I'll see you Friday." he said, giving Tien a quick pat on the shoulder before heading out of the house. Tien sighed again as he watched Yamcha leave.

"I swear, he's going to get himself killed someday..." he muttered. Chiaotzu floated up behind him.

"You know, it means a lot to Yamcha that you're going with him, no one else has agreed to go before besides Puar." he said. "And..."

"And what?" Tien asked, turning to face his small friend. Chiaotzu hesitated, looking a tad guilty, and took a deep breath.

"Well... it's not for me to say. It's a secret. I know I shouldn't have pried into his thoughts, but he's very loud, even in his own head." he explained. Tien was silent for a few moments.

"So, you're not going to tell me, because it's private? That's fair. If he wants to tell me, he will, and I won't pry." he said eventually. Chiaotzu smiled, relived.

"Thank you Tien. Don't worry, it's not anything bad." Chiaotzu assured him. "If you'd like, I can pick up a book on baseball from the library for you."

"If it will make this trip any easier, then sure, go ahead."

* * *

 _ **That Friday...**_

* * *

"So... your position is... center field?" said Tien, his nose buried in his library book, "The ins and outs of the outfield."

"Yeah! It's a breeze, really, but sometimes I let the ball pass me so I don't seem suspicious." boasted Yamcha.

The two were flying side by side, on their way to the city, and Tien was attempting to remember everything from his book. Memorizing the text was easy, but Yamcha had a few slag terms that were harder to learn, and the line between the two was starting to blur.

"And you're the last one "up to bat" because you're stronger than the other humans." Tien concluded confidently. Yamcha smiled at him.

"Exactly! You're getting the hang of it. I'm proud of you." he said, teasing Tien slightly. He received a triple eye roll in response. They flew in silence for a while.

"So... have you ever been to Southwest city before?" asked Yamcha.

"No. I don't travel much." said Tien.

"Well, you're gonna love it! I know my way around, due to family visits and such, so I can show you all the places worth visiting." said Yamcha.

"I never said anything about being a tourist. I'm going to watch your game, and nothing more." stated Tien, shutting down the conversation again.

Eventually, they landed just outside the city limits, and began walking towards the downtown area. Small suburbs turned into high rises as Yamcha directed them towards the hotel they had reserved a room in. Tien stayed quiet, as per usual, but he found himself a bit more distracted than he thought he'd be. Southwest city was a bustling hive of human activity, with the sidewalks filled with people, and the roads teeming with vehicles. The crowds were inescapable, and hard to navigate, so Tien shelved any complaints he might have made when Yamcha grabbed his hand and led him through the chaos. He breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it though the hotel doors. After a few seconds, they both noticed that they were still holding hands, and unanimously let go. Yamcha hefted his suitcase over his shoulder nonchalantly and made a beeline for the front desk, motioning for Tien to follow.

"Um... shouldn't we be in line?" asked Tien, looking confused. Yamcha laughed slightly.

"No need for the normal line. We've got VIP treatment today." he said, leading Tien through a set of velvet ropes. The old man behind the counter grinned widely as he recognized Yamcha.

"Yamcha, my boy, what brings you here today?" he asked jovially.

"Hello to you too, Komai, and you know full well why I'm here." said Yamcha, shaking the mans hand. The man, Komai, laughed softly.

"I do indeed. Congratulations on getting to the finals again. I'll be sure to have the lobby televisions tuned into the game tomorrow." he said. A few taps on his keyboard later, he handed Yamcha a small card in a paper sleeve, and double checked his computer screen.

"Your reservation says for one, but..." he leaned to the side to get a better look at Tien, "I believe I see two."

"Oh, well, this was kinda a last minute change." said Yamcha, hurriedly adding " And not in that way!" when Komai raised an eyebrow. Tien had enough self control to suppress a blush.

"Well, whatever the circumstances, he will be accepted here. May I ask your name, young man?" said Komai.

"It's Tenshinhan."

"Welcome to the Anzen hotel, Mr. Tenshinhan, I hope you enjoy your stay." said Komai holding out another small card. Yamcha passed it over to his companion.

"You can just call me Tien." said Tien, a tad confused about what the small plastic rectangle he had just received was, but staying composed none the less.

"Thanks for everything, Komai! I'll see ya tomorrow." said Yamcha with a wave, walking towards one of the many hallways, Tien close behind him.

"Anytime Yamcha." said Komai cheerfully, returning the wave. Tien simply nodded. He then returned his attention to the small card in his hand.

"I feel really stupid asking, but what is this thing for?" he said.

"It's a room key." explained Yamcha. "The doors have this little slot, you put the end of your card with the arrows into it, and bam! You're in."

"So... the rooms don't have locks?"

"Oh, they do on the inside, but the room key is still safer." said Yamcha. After a few seconds in the elevator, they arrived on the 21st floor, and headed to their room.

"Here we are!" Yamcha declared, setting his bag down. Tien surveyed the room, but his eyes stopped once he saw the bed.

"... Why is there only one bed?" he asked. Yamcha blushed and grinned shyly, absentmindedly scratching the back of his head.

"Well, when I booked the room a month ago, I didn't know that you would be coming with me." he said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine. I'll sleep on the floor." said Tien.

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me, I've slept in worse places." he reassured Yamcha.

"Well, if it will cheer you up a little, there's a great restaurant nearby." said Yamcha, perking up at the idea of food. Tien shrugged.

"Sure. It's not like I know were to go." he said. Yamcha smiled and went about unpacking as quickly as possible.

After a few more minutes to change into more suitable clothes for finer dining, the two set off, waving to Komai again on the way out.

"That guy sure is friendly." Tien remarked, gesturing towards Komai.

"Well, he does own the place."

"He does? Then why was he the receptionist?"

"He likes to meet his customers first hand. He's a really relaxed guy too, so don't worry about being formal around him." explained Yamcha. Soon they had reached the restaurant.

"You ever been to a restaurant before?" asked Yamcha. Tien shrugged.

"I know what they are, and I've seen them, but I've never really been in one." he said. Yamcha grinned.

"Don't sweat it. I'll cover paying. And besides..." he said, reaching for the door handle.

"What could go wrong?"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: To answer Yamcha, everything, everything could go wrong.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Dinner and... a date?**

* * *

"Hello and welcome! How may I serve you today?"

While Yamcha spoke to the server at the desk, Tien looked around the building, amazed at how many things were hung on the walls. There were taxidermy animals, farming supplies, and what looked to be a whole canoe. There didn't seem to be a point to it all either. They were just... there. His attention was shifted when Yamcha tugged on his sleeve and pulled him aside, glancing back at the server briefly before leaning in closer.

"Okay, I'm only going to say this once, so please pay attention. There's a special on for couples that cost less than eating separately, the server thinks we're a couple, and I may have said we were together to save money." Yamcha said quickly. Tien took a moment to process the information.

"You said... we're a couple... to save money on dinner?" he said slowly. Yamcha had the grace to blush slightly and nod. Tien spent a few seconds thinking about it.

"I expected worse. I'll go with it." he said with a sigh after considering the offer. Yamcha grinned.

"Thanks a ton." he said. Tien shrugged.

"You're the one paying. It's the least I can do." he said. He grabbed Yamcha by the hand, put a smile on his face, and walked up to the server. She grinned at the two and led them to a booth seat. After waiting a few minutes for food in silence, Yamcha decided to start a conversation.

"So... you ready for the game tomorrow?" he asked.

"You're the one playing." stated Tien. The conversation died as quickly as it had started.

The two avoided eye contact, both feeling a little awkward, something that was alleviated slightly when a staff member came by with some wine for them.

" _At least the drinks here are decent."_ Tien thought. Eventually, the waitress came back, still smiling.

"Here you are." she said, placing their plates down. She looked back and forth between them, fiddling nervously, and obviously curious. "So... how long have you two known each other?"

"Uhh... almost twenty years, I think." said Yamcha, looking towards Tien for confirmation. Tien nodded.

'Just about, yeah." he said, thinking back to when they had first met during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, and allowing himself a small smile at the memory. Even after everything that had happened there, it was still where he had made his only friends besides Chiaotzu, and where he had finally felt free. The server girl beamed at them.

"Wow! You must be close. How long have you been a couple, if I may ask?" she said.

"Ummm... not very! It was kinda a recent thing, y'know, all the cliche "Fall in love with your best friend" stuff. It's technically our first date." said Yamcha sheepishly, a small yet genuine blush adding to the believability of his story.

Tien stayed quiet and let him talk, sipping lightly at his wine glass as Yamcha spouted off some tale about meeting at a martial arts event, which was technically true. The server finally left after asking a few more things, the main topic being Tien and Yamchas friendship, and the two were alone again.

"So... twenty years." said Yamcha after a while, sounding rather impressed.

"It's been longer than I thought." admitted Tien. "We met when we were both nineteen."

"And you tied to kill me." said Yamcha, his usual smirk returning.

"Killing you would have disqualified me." Tien reminded him.

"Didn't stop you from breaking my leg." said Yamcha, pointing a fork at his companion.

"That wasn't against the rules. Though, to be fair, it was a dirty move. Definitely not something I would have done nowadays." said Tien. He had a slight smirk of his own, enjoying the banter, as it was a familiar thing to him by now.

"Yeah, well, maybe you're too old now." teased Yamcha.

"Too old? Need I remind you that we're the same age." Tien snapped back at him. Yamcha nodded in agreement.

"Almost forty. Face it, we're both not in peak shape anymore, Tien." he said, turning his attention to his food. Dinner went quietly for the remainder of the night.

By the time they left the restaurant, it was getting dark out, and the streetlamps had turned on. The soft yellow light illuminated the tree lined pathway back to the hotel. The two walked side by side in silence, perhaps a tad wobbly, as Yamcha had drank a bit more wine than he should have.

"Sure is romantic out here." Yamcha commented, interrupting the quiet. Tien raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Why?" he asked. Yamcha shrugged.

"The lighting, the full moon, the crisp fall air, take your pick." he said, slightly sarcastic. His expression shifted from amused to confused when he noticed that Tien was looking a bit lost. "Haven't you done anything romantic before?"

"No, or at least, I don't think so." admitted Tien.

"Oh... I didn't know." Yamcha said apologetically. Tien gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's fine. My old lifestyle didn't let me get too close to people, so I never really had to deal with romance, and running a farm doesn't exactly bring suitors running. What's it like?" he said. Yamcha took a few seconds to think.

"It's like... you feel happy when your partner is happy. You want to keep them safe. You trust them. You start noticing all the little quirks about them, like what different smiles mean, and how their body language tells you how they're feeling. You appreciate every moment with them. Stuff like that." he said with a shrug.

"Stuff like... how they act when they talk about the things they like?" asked Tien, starting to catch on. Yamcha nodded.

"Exactly." he said with a proud grin. "Look at you, learning about love."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. There's still a ton of stuff I'm fuzzy on." said Tien with a small laugh.

"Well, let me know if you need any explanations, or demonstrations." replied Yamcha with a wink. The laughter only escalated from there. The two stopped in place for a moment to allow Tien time to catch his breath.

"Even I know that was a stupid line." said Tien, once he had calmed down. Yamcha shrugged, a small blush rising on his face.

"Well, it was worth a shot." he said offhandedly, opting to look at the nearby flowerbeds instead of Tien. Tien noticed the change in tone. Something was up.

"I... uh... I'd say it was a good shot." Tien said, hesitating slightly, as he honestly wasn't sure how to respond.

"Thanks for the compliment." Yamcha said sarcastically, with a small but mirthless laugh, shifting his gaze to the ground. Before Tien could really process what he was doing, he had grabbed Yamcha by the shoulders, and turned him so they were face to face.

"I mean it." Tien assured him, mentally berating himself for acting on impulse, because now he had no idea what to do next. Yamcha was more than little shocked, eyes wide, and his blush was much more prominent. Tien could feel his own face heating up as well.

"Uh... thanks..." muttered Yamcha, unsure of what Tien was trying to do, but appreciating the effort.

After a moment of awkward silence, Tien sighed and decided to do something he was going to regret later, though in the moment it was all he could think of. He leaned in, brushed some Yamchas hair out of the way, and quickly planted a light kiss on his forehead. The two fell silent for a few seconds afterwards, staring at each other, both seemingly surprised by the action.

"C'mon, let's get back to the hotel, it's getting colder." Tien eventually said in a small panic, despite the fact that the temperature hadn't changed, and let go of Yamcha before opting to fly the rest of the way without looking back.

He landed on the balcony of their room, glanced over his shoulder to see if Yamcha had followed him, which he hadn't, and leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh.

"Why did I do that..." he murmured to himself, sliding down the wall until he was sitting, and burying his face in his hands. The sounds of the city filled his ears as he sat there, wondering what his actions meant for his friendship with Yamcha, and what they meant for himself.

 _"Was he serious?"_ Tien thought, remembering how disappointed Yamcha was after Tien had laughed at him. _"And what about me? Why would I kiss him?"_

These thoughts and similar ones filled his mind as he curled up on the balcony. Minutes passed slowly, then stretched into hours, as Tien gradually grew more tired. He finally decided to give in and sleep, making a mental note to talk to Yamcha in the morning. He was still awake enough, however, to notice when Yamcha walked onto the balcony and gently placed a blanket on him, accompanied by a barely noticeable kiss right above Tiens third eye, before heading back inside. Tien smiled, despite his confusion, and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: It's game day! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Playoffs and Fangirls and Feelings, oh my!**

* * *

Daylight gradually made its way across the city, illuminating the windows in the buildings, and waking most of the population. From the balcony on the 21st floor of the Anzen Hotel, Tenshinhan admired the view. The morning in the city wasn't too different from the country. The familiarity helped calm him. It was game day. It was also the day Tien decided he needed to talk to Yamcha about what had happened the previous night. With a nervous sigh he gathered his composure and walked into the hotel room. A few seconds of searching revealed Yamcha buried underneath several layers of blankets. Tien tossed the one Yamcha had placed on him onto a nearby chair and leaned over to shake Yamcha's shoulder lightly.

"Time to get up." he said, not shouting, but being loud enough to get a response. Yamcha grumbled, shifted his position, and drifted off again. Tien rolled his eyes. Of course Yamcha would sleep in. Oddly enough, for as long as he had know him, Tien had never seen Yamcha sleep. It was not a pretty sight. Limbs were sprawled at every angle. His hair was a mess and at least three pillows had migrated to the floor. Tien decided to give his friend a bit more time to sleep and headed into the bathroom to get dressed.

 _"Does he even remember what happened last night?"_ Tien wondered. He had known Yamcha long enough to figure out just how much alcohol it took for the ex-bandit to black out but he hadn't been paying close attention when they were at the restaurant. Tien tugged a shirt on and walked back out into the hotel room. Yamcha had somehow managed to maneuver himself so his bottom half was on the bed and his top half was over the side. Tien walked over and grabbed him by the shoulders, planning to push him back into place. What he didn't expect was that Yamcha would wake up. The resulting punch to the face, he decided, was warranted.

"What the hell Tien?!" Yamcha exclaimed, now sitting in the center of the bed and looking down at Tien on the floor. Tien rubbed at what he knew would turn into a bruise later as he stood back up.

"You were going to fall. I was trying to help." he stated. Yamcha crossed his arms, still a little upset, and glared at him.

"Just get dressed. You have to get to your game by noon." Tien said with a sigh. Yamcha squinted at the bedside clock, took a second to register the time, and heaved himself out of bed.

"Got anything to help a hangover?" he asked, half-joking, and was surprised when Tien nodded. "Really?"

"Don't tell Korrin." he said, walking over to his bag and taking out a small pouch.

"How in Kami's name did you manage to sneak those away from him?" Yamcha asked with a small laugh.

"If I tell you we'll be out of senzu real quick." Tien replied with a proud smirk, tossing one of them at Yamcha. Tien took a second to collect his thoughts. Alright. Banter he could deal with. Serious talks about feelings? Those could wait for a little while longer.

"I'm going to head downstairs for breakfast. I'll meet you in the lobby." he said, walking towards the door.

"Will do." said Yamcha, digging through his suitcase to find his uniform.

"And... thanks for the blanket." Tien added, stepping into the hallway and closing the door before he could get a response.

 **Anzen Hotel, Lobby**

Tien sat in one of the many chairs on the main floor, a muffin in one hand, and his eyes glued to the television on the wall. The sports channel seemed to be doing a segment focusing on the players for the upcoming baseball game. Most were of little note, in his opinion, though there seemed to be a slight bias towards the home team. He did notice that even the home team fans acknowledged Yamcha's ability as a player. The man in question had been shown no less than four times, always at the top of his game, and usually smiling for the camera.

"You'd think they'd be a tad more negative."

Tien nearly jumped out of his chair. He had been so tuned into the screen that he hadn't noticed Yamcha walking up behind him.

"So... about last night." Yamcha said, sitting down across from Tien, looking slightly awkward. Tien suppressed a blush. It seemed that they'd be talking about feelings a lot sooner than he'd thought.

"What about it?" he said, attempting to appear nonchalant, and failing. Yamcha leaned forward with a more serious expression on his face than usual.

"You know what I'm talking about Tenshinhan." he said in a low voice, making sure no one else heard them. Tien felt his heart sink a little. Yamcha rarely addressed him with his full name. Not unless he was upset, formal, or worried. He opened his mouth, trying to formulate a reasonable explanation beyond "You looked cute", and promptly shut it again as a child around age ten ran up to them. Any distraction was welcome at this point.

"Are you Yamcha? From the Taitans?" the kid asked, wide eyed, paying no attention to his rather sheepish looking parents who caught up a moment later.

"That's me." Yamcha said, shifting back into his usual peppy attitude with a smile.

"My name is Giru. I'm in the Taitan little league from Pepper Town!" the kid explained, proudly standing as tall as he could.

"Pepper Town? That's so far away! What are you doing out here, little Taitan?" Yamcha asked.

"We came to see the playoffs. It's his birthday present." explained the boys father. Giru giggled and bounced up and down on his heels excitedly.

"You're his favorite player." the mother added. Yamcha smiled, flattered.

"Wow! You came all the way out here to see me? You must be a very good baseball player. " he said. Giru beamed.

"I won MVP two years in a row!" he declared triumphantly. He managed to tear his eyes away from his hero long enough to notice Tien, who wad watching the whole display with a grin. "Who's that?"

"That's my friend Tien. He came with me to watch the game." Yamcha explained. Tien raised a hand in a silent greeting. Giru waved in return and turned his attention back to Yamcha.

"Does he play baseball too?" he asked. Yamcha laughed.

"Who, Tien? He's never touched a baseball in his life. Though I'm sure you could teach him a few things." he said. Giru laughed in return at the compliment. His father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk to my son. I'm sure you have other things to do before the game, however, as do we." he said, looking down at Giru. "Right champ?"

"We're going to the pool!" Giru said, obviously excited, and he started to follow his parents out of the room.

"Bye Mr. Yamcha! Bye Mr. Tien!" he shouted as they left, waving and grinning wider than ever. Yamcha gladly waved back.

"Bye Giru! See you at the game! I'll try to hit a ball to you!" Yamcha said, smiling when the boys face lit up.

"You're really good with kids." Tien observed as the boy and his parents walked out of sight. Yamcha turned back to face him, still grinning.

"Kids are the best kinds of fans. They look up to you. Men are focused on the team as a whole and the girls are mainly after the players individually." he stated, reaching over to grab a piece of Tien's muffin.

"When do you have to leave for the game?" Tien asked, trying to change the subject before Yamcha remembered what they were talking about before. Thankfully it seemed to work as Yamcha checked his watch.

"Not for another couple of hours." he said. "Fell like doing some sightseeing?"

"Sure." Tien agreed with a shrug. He had nothing better to do, and Yamcha was sure to drag him around the city at least once on their trip, so he might as well get it over with.

 **Southwest City, Downtown**

"This isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Tien admitted, looking around. Yamcha hadn't been kidding when he said that he knew the place well. They had walked to several small shops Tien would have never noticed, seen quite a few art installations, and many of Yamcha's friends. It turns out that people really want to meet you if you're a famous athlete, Tien discovered, as they were stopped several times by fans for a picture, autograph, or a chat.

"I told you it'd be fun." said Yamcha, nudging Tien with his elbow. "You need to relax more."

"Maybe." Tien said. They walked a while longer, taking in all the city had to offer, and then some.

"Something just occurred to me..." Tien mused out loud. "You were raised in the desert. How do you have relatives here?"

"When I was still with Bulma I told her about how I grew up with no real family. She insisted that I try to find at least a few relatives so I had some DNA tests done. I got tracked back to a couple living here who turned out to be my grandparents." Yamcha explained.

"Must have been a hell of a shock for them." Tien said. Yamcha grinned, thinking back.

"Yeah... apparently my mom ran off with my dad when she was young. My grandparents never heard from her again. Then I show up out of nowhere, a scruffy teen looking like I came right off the street, and declare myself their grandchild. It took some getting used to for both sides." he said. He checked his watch and started walking a bit faster.

"As much as I'd love to discuss my family with you, I have a game to be at soon, so we may want to hurry up." Yamcha said, grabbing Tien by the hand like he had last time. Tien considered saying something, but decided to simply follow, hoping no one would notice that he was starting to blush again. Walking was much slower than flying, but to their credit, they made it to the stadium with time to spare. There was a slight delay as a group of about five young ladies blocked their path. All of them wore a Taitan logo somewhere, either on their shirt, or on a hat.

"You're Yamcha from the Taitans, right? We're huge fans." said the lead girl with a giggle.

"Indeed I am." replied Yamcha with a grin. All of the girls looked ecstatic. Tien scowled slightly. These must be the people Yamcha referred to as "Fangirls."

" _Am I jealous? No, that's stupid."_ he thought to himself. None the less, he couldn't ignore the tight feeling in his chest as he watched the girls fawn over his companion. One of the group finally got her turn at the front and nearly pierced everyone's eardrums with the noise she made, but she wasn't looking at Yamcha.

"It's you! From last night! At the restaurant! I knew that I recognized you!" she squealed. Tien almost did a double take as he realized the girl as the waitress from the night before. Her enthusiasm seemed to have skyrocketed now that she was outside of work.

"Tiffany, right?" Tien said, attempting to recall her name tag, while outstretching a hand for her to shake. Tiffany then proceeded to nearly shake his arm out of its socket.

"That's me! I knew who Yamcha was, so I told my friends, and they didn't believe me when I said he was on a date with a man. So we got here early to search for Yamcha and we found you too!" she said quickly.

"So, is it true?" one of the others asked, her eyes wide.

"Is what true?" said Yamcha, feeling a tad lost.

"That you're dating him!" a different girl exclaimed, pointing at Tien. All the other girls looked just as curious.

"Oh! Uh, that's right!" said Yamcha, blushing madly. To Tien's credit, he didn't flinch when Yamcha wrapped an arm around his waist, though internally he was starting to panic. Instead, he just smiled, and draped one of his own arms over Yamcha's shoulders. At this point he couldn't tell who was freaking out more, him, or the girls. He took a deep breath and decided on his next move.

"If you wouldn't mind ladies, it's been a pleasure meeting you, but I don't want my boyfriend to be late for his game." said Tien with practiced politeness. He latched onto Yamcha like a vice grip and walked past the girls. As soon as they were alone, they let go with simultaneous sighs, their faces a bright red.

"You're a much better actor than I give you credit for." said Yamcha.

"Gee, thanks." Tien replied sarcastically. "We got past them, didn't we?"

"Yeah. Thanks for that." said Yamcha. He walked a bit closer and quickly kissed Tien on the cheek.

"Thanks for that too, from before." he added before walking off down a nearby hallway. "See you after the game!"

"Uh... yeah." Tien called after him, standing stiff as a statue, willing for his heart to slow down.

" _What did that mean? Does... does he actually want to date me?"_ Tien thought, thoroughly embarrassing himself in the process. He hurried over to his seat and spent the half an hour waiting for the game to start trying to focus on the people around him instead of his thoughts. Despite his best efforts, his mind kept wandering back to Yamcha, and it was much too distracting for Tien's taste.

" _It doesn't make sense... the flirting after dinner.. the kisses... the whole dating scenario... he would have said something to me by now if he actually liked me... wait... is that what Chiaotzu was talking about? Is that the secret he sensed?"_ Tien realized, forgetting to pay attention to the opening pitch.

It all made sense. Why hadn't he seen it before? And, more importantly, how did he feel about it? Tien decided he would think about that later and watched the game. From what he had read he was able to make sense of most of it. As usual, the Taitans were in the lead, thanks to Yamcha. Tien cheered along with the rest of the crowd and tried to look as invested as possible. Yamcha was playing what looked to be the best game of his career. It was almost like he was showing off. True to his word, he managed to hit one of the balls into the stands. The giant screen on the wall showed that it had reached Giru, the boy from the lobby, who looked happier than anyone Tien had ever seen.

By the time the game was over, the sun was starting to go down, bathing everything in a red-orange glow. The Taitans won, as Tien had expected, and the crowd was going crazy. He used the celebration as a way to slip out of the stands unnoticed. He didn't want to end up covered in beer because a drunk fan wanted to party. On his way out of the stadium he noticed a small crowd gathered near the entrance. These people were different from the others, however, as a few of them were carrying cameras and sound equipment.

 _"Must be reporters."_ Tien thought as he started to walk past them. Before he could make it outside one of the women with a microphone ran up to him.

"Excuse me sir, may we have a moment of your time?" she asked with a grin just a little bit too wide for Tien's liking.

"Of course." he said despite his better judgment, deciding that he didn't want to appear rude. The lady motioned for one of the cameramen to start filming.

"We've recently been given some shocking information from a group of Taitans fans. Is it true that you are in a relationship with lead Taitan player Yamcha?" she said, leaning the mic towards him. Tien cursed his luck. Of course those girls from before had managed to find a news crew to gossip with. He took a moment to collect himself, put on a slightly forced smile, and chuckled nervously.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked, wishing his voice didn't sound so weak. The reporter beamed at him.

"As I stated before, sir, a group of fans informed us that they encountered you and Yamcha together before the game started." she explained.

 _"That makes it sound way worse than it was."_ Tien thought to himself.

"Would you be willing to give baseball fans worldwide a statement about this?" the reporter continued. Tien took a moment to consider it. If he said no, then the girls would spread rumors, and he didn't know if any of them has been recording their earlier encounter. If he said yes there was no going back.

"To clarify, what kind of statement are you looking for?" he asked, trying to buy himself some more time. A crowd of people was starting to form around them, mainly consisting of Taitans fans, and he could see the girls from before.

"Just a simple yes or no would suffice." the reporter said. Tien took a deep breath. He made his choice, and never one to go out quietly, opted to put on a show.

"Yes, we are in a relationship. It's still rather new to both of us. We've known each other for nearly twenty years and only recently admitted that our feelings for each other run deeper then friendship. I came to the game today to watch him in action but we're planning on staying in the city a while longer. I've never really been in the downtown of everywhere and Yamcha has family here." Tien said, noticing how the crowd was paying him much more attention now. Time to lay on the emotions. He grinned and raised a hand to cover his heart. "I spent so long being silent, so much time convinced that it would never work out, that now I'm a bit overwhelmed. Yamcha is everything to me, and for now, I'd like these next few days to be just us."

"I understand completely sir." said the reporter with a smile much more natural then the ones before it. "Before you leave may we get your name?"

"Tenshinhan Shinto." Tien replied, quickly realizing that he didn't actually have a real last name, and creating one on the spot. The reporter seemed satisfied with his answer and faced the camera.

"There you have it folks, the name of the mystery man dating Yamcha. Thanks for watching and tune in later for exclusive interviews with the Taitans team members . This is Cela Rhei, signing off." she said. The crowd around them slowly dispersed as they lost interest. The reporter let out a sigh of relief as the camera light shut off and turned back to Tien. "Thanks. That made my job a lot easier. There's gonna be way less fake leads to dig through now."

"You're welcome." Tien said. He reached out for a handshake, hoping that continuing being friendly would encourage the news crew to leave faster and help with his plan. "It was a pleasure to meet you. If it's not too much to ask, could you spread the word to other news outlets? Yamcha and I would like to have some privacy this weekend and we can't really do that when there's cameras in our faces at every turn. I can probably give you a better interview later if you want."

"Anything for an old friend." Cela said, shaking his hand, laughing when he looked confused. "I know Yamcha from back in his beginner days. I recognized him from the 22nd world martial arts tournament and recommended that he try baseball. I try not to take the credit for kick starting his career."

"Never would have guessed." Tien said. "Wait... does that mean to recognized me?"

"I sure did." Cela said with a wink. "I didn't want to assume but there's not that many three eyed people in the world. Plus it probably would have freaked you out if I used your name right away."

"I suppose you're right." Tien said. Cela smiled again and motioned for her camera crew to follow her.

"I usually am. Don't worry about privacy, I'll keep the press hounds off of your back, you just have a fun trip." she said, starting to leave. "I'm happy for you two. Yamcha deserves someone like you in his life."

Tien watched her go with a heavy feeling forming in his chest. Cela's words had more weight then she knew. Tien walked back to the hotel by himself as he tried to organize his thoughts. _"Yamcha deserves someone like you."_

 _"No,"_ Tien thought, _"Yamcha deserves better than me."_

 **Anzen Hotel, Lobby**

"Good evening Tien. How are you feeling?"

Tien looked to his left to see Komai standing nearby.

"I'm well. Why do you ask?" Tien said. Komai looked at him with a kind expression.

"I saw your interview. From my experience with you so far, you don't seem like the type of person to share so much information, let alone to the public." he explained. Tien sighed.

"I might have panicked a little." he admitted. Komai laughed softly.

"Well whatever you did it certainly had an effect. Cela contacted me and told me about your arrangement with her." he said.

 _"How many people does that woman know around here?"_ Tien thought. He sighed and looked downwards.

"Whatever happens now is my fault. If you don't see me around the hotel tomorrow try not to be surprised." he mumbled. Komai patted his back lightly.

"You may have been putting on an act for the camera before, but I can tell, you really do care for Yamcha. If I may make a suggestion, don't just up and leave, try to at least talk to him first. He cares about you too. There's a reason you two are putting on this charade of romance and the Yamcha I know never does anything without purpose." he said. He smiled and left Tien on his own. Tien mulled over Komai's advice as he made his way up to his room. He needed to work through his emotions as soon as possible. Once Tien made it to the room, he decided that some fresh air would do him some good, and after reading a pamphlet provided by the hotel he made his way towards the rooftop pool.

A swim would help, he reasoned, as he stepped outside into the sunset. As long as Yamcha didn't find him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Anzen Hotel, Rooftop Pool**

Swimming had never been a large part of Tien's life. Sure, he'd meditated under enough waterfalls to last him a lifetime, but swimming was different. A waterfall surrounds you with enough noise that it eventually becomes like static. You then ignore that static and strengthen your mind. That was how it worked. Just being underwater, with almost all noise from the world gone, that was so much harder. Tonight, however, that silence was what Tien needed. Luckily for him the pool was mostly empty. The few families and lone swimmers were starting to turn in for the night and none of them wanted to be alone with someone as intimidating as Tien. He quickly changed into the boxer shorts that served as his swimsuit and dove in.

Within half an hour he was alone in the water. The sky was starting to darken and the first stars were beginning to shine through the clouds. Tien closed his eyes and dipped back underwater. He let the quiet surround him, calm him, and focused on his emotions. He'd never been the best at showing them but it seemed that he'd have to at some point so he'd better figure out what they are. He made his way from one end of the pool to the other. The repetitive motions gave him a sense of peace. It seemed that swimming was a kind of meditation all on its own. He floated to the surface once more and opened his eyes again as he took a breath. The clouds had cleared somewhat and more stars had appeared. The constellations were a familiar and friendly sight. Tien took a few more deep breaths as he floated on his back.

He then proceeded inhale some of that calming water as something landed with a giant splash beside him.

"Shit, I didn't mean to land that close, are you okay?"

Tien resurfaced in a coughing fit as he tried breathe properly. The fact that the something that had landed in the pool was Yamcha was not helping. He felt a hand on his shoulder and blinked a few times to get the water out of his eyes.

"M'fine." Tien managed to say once he was able to function again. Yamcha looked relived and removed his hand.

"Good. Wouldn't want you to drown before I got the chance to talk with you." he said. He started to swim towards the shallower end of the pool. Tien followed him, not sure what else to do, and waited for him to speak. Maybe things would turn out alright.

"I saw your interview earlier."

 _Fuck._

"You did?" Tien said weakly. He knew this was going to happen. He just wasn't sure he was ready for it. Yamcha smirked at him.

"Of course I did. My boyfriend is on TV. Why wouldn't I see it?" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. His expression shifted to be serious. "What the actual hell were you thinking?"

"You're the one who started this whole thing on the first place." Tien pointed out.

"Well you're the one that kissed me!" Yamcha replied. His voice started to get louder as he continued. "You're the one who decided to go along with it. You're the one that gave me hope, dammit, and what am I supposed to do now!?"

"What are you taking about?!" Tien asked, raising his voice to meet Yamchas.

"I'm talking about this!" Yamcha shouted, gesturing to the both of them. "I'm talking about us! I thought I had no chance in hell for romance with you and then all this happens. Last night happens. Today happens. I was so scared to try and love someone after Bulma. Kami knows I tried, Tenshinhan, I really tried. But now? After so long, after so many false hopes, all of a sudden you're the one I've fallen for?! It's not fair!"

Yamchas voice faded to a whisper and then into nothing. The night turned silent. The only sounds were the water lapping at the sides of the pool and Yamcha struggling to hold back tears. Tien stared at him, shocked, trying to understand his friends outburst.

"It's not fair." Yamcha repeated, almost inaudible, his eyes downcast. "I finally realize what I'm missing in my life and it's you. The one person who I know would never feel the same way about me. The one person that I'm the most scared to lose."

"You're not going to lose me."

Yamcha snapped to attention to see Tien moving closer to him. As for Tien, he was finally listening to his emotions, weather he recognized it or not.

"You're not going to lose me. You're NEVER going to lose me, Yamcha, you understand? I'm still not sure what to call my feelings but I'm definitely not leaving you." Tien said, placing his hands on Yamcha's shoulders. Yamcha listened, eyes wide, not even noticing the tears that were making their way down his cheeks. Tien's usual stoic expression had broken, revealing a face full of confusion and hurt, but also overwhelming care and affection.

"I swear on my life I'm not running away this time." Tien whispered, leaning in to press a light kiss to Yamcha's forehead. The next thing he knew there was a body pressed against him, arms around his neck, and lips on his own.

 _''Whelp. This is happening."_ Tien thought. He might of had more thoughts after that one but he'd never find out as his mind soon focused on the man he was holding. He returned the embrace the best he could while keeping himself above the water. Thank Kami they had moved to the shallow end. The kiss ended far too soon for Tien's liking but he quickly forgot to be upset as Yamcha steadily moved his mouth down Tien's neck and collarbone.

"I think we should move this out of the pool." Tien suggested, inhaling with a hiss as Yamcha's teeth found the one part of his neck that had always been a bit more sensitive than the rest. He pulled Yamcha's head back by gently grabbing onto his hair. This, as he found out, caused Yamcha to moan slightly. He could find out more about that later, Tien decided, although he couldn't keep himself from going in for another kiss on the lips. Yamcha was far more experienced and a bit more enthusiastic, however, and angled his face so he could kiss Tien better. He occasionally moved back to kiss other places, mainly the neck, but always returned back to Tien's mouth.

"Think you're right." Yamcha mumbled eventually. He pulled out of their embrace to climb out of the pool. Tien followed and had barely stepped away from the water when Yamcha kissed him again. They somehow stumbled their way off of the roof and back into their clothes. The elevator trip down to their room was a blur filled with more kissing and hands roaming. Things slowed down slightly when they finally made it back to the room. Tien's mind raced as he hung his bathing suit over the shower rod in the bathroom.

"What do I do now?" he wondered. He took a few seconds to catch his breath. Whatever was happening, he didn't want it to stop, but...

"So...uh... how far do you want to go with this?" he said as he walked back into the room. He looked around to spot Yamcha leaning against the window.

"Do you want the honest answer or the one my body is telling me?" Yamcha asked, turning around to face Tien. A blush rose again to Tien's face and he gulped.

"Both?" he replied, unsure himself of what he wanted to hear. Yamcha took a deep breath.

"The honest one is that I'm only going to go as far as you're comfortable with. I'm not gonna force you to do anything. This is new to both of us and we really shouldn't rush it." he said. Tien nodded. Then raised an eyebrow.

"And the other answer?" he said. Yamcha took a few more steps closer.

"Every fiber of my being is telling me that I need you. It doesn't matter how. I've been single for so many years and now here you stand ready and waiting. I need you and I want you, Tenshinhan, like you wouldn't believe. I'm kind of ashamed to say that you've been on my mind more than once when I've been alone at night." Yamcha admitted. His face was flushed and his hands were trembling but his voice stayed steady.

Tien took a few moments to process Yamcha's statement. He knew that Yamcha was interested in something physical, that much was obvious, but to hear him say it out loud was different. It was a little embarrassing, because who wouldn't be a bit flustered after finding out that their best friend fantasized about them, but more than that it was exciting, all that raw emotion out in the open with nothing being held back.

"I suppose it was too much to hope for." Yamcha said with a sigh. Tien realized he had been silent for the last minute or so. He walked up to Yamcha and lightly ran his fingers over his friends scars.

"You didn't give me a chance to respond yet." he whispered. He leaned in to give Yamcha a kiss and weaved one of his hands into Yamcha's hair. They both came out of the kiss breathless and took a moment to rest their foreheads together and look at each other.

"If this is your response then I'm pretty okay with it." Yamcha said after a while. Tien leaned in again but didn't kiss Yamcha this time. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close.

"I haven't had the same experience as you with these feelings, that's a given, but that doesn't mean I don't return them. We can go slowly in the future." he said quietly.

"What about now?" Yamcha asked, returning the hug. Tien pulled back far enough to look Yamcha in the eyes.

"Right now I want you just as much as you want me. You'll have to teach me how some things work but I like to think I'm a fast learner." he said. Yamcha grinned and kissed him on the cheek.

"I've got no problems with that." he said. "What kind of lesson should I start with?"

"How about a demonstration?" Tien said. He ran his hands down Yamcha's back and fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

"I think I can do that." Yamcha said. His usual wolf-like smirk returned with an added layer of lust. He pressed their bodies together as he pulled Tien close to him again.


	5. Chapter 5

If someone had told Tien any number of years ago that he'd be waking up one morning in the same bed as his best friend he probably would have thought that said someone was insane. Yet here he was in a hotel room lying next to the man he called his eternal rival.

Tien blinked sleepily and squinted as the light from the sunrise permeated the room. A quick glance at the wall clock revealed that it was fairly early in the morning. His gaze drifted around the room and eventually settled on Yamcha. He smiled slightly and freed one of his hands from underneath the blankets.

He brushed some of Yamcha's hair aside, though it didn't do much to help, and lightly traced one of the scars on his face. The night before he had covered the same scars in kisses. Now he just admired them. Yamcha had never told him, or anyone for that matter, how he got them. Maybe Tien would ask about it someday. He moved his hand back to Yamcha's hair and stroked it softly. He had always admired Yamcha's hair. It was smooth and caught the light in a way that always seemed to make Yamcha glow. He was glad Yamcha had decided to grow his hair long again. Maybe he'd ask Bulma or Chi Chi to teach him how to braid sometime. His thoughts wandered for a short while before he noticed that Yamcha was starting to wake up.

"Morning." Tien mumbled. Yamcha grinned and snuggled up closer to him.

"S'not morning until I get up." Yamcha said with a yawn. Tien rolled his eyes but allowed himself to doze off again.

It felt like only a few seconds even though the clock told him it had been around an hour when he woke up again. He slowly, and a little reluctantly, untangled himself from the warm and comfortable combination that was the blankets and Yamcha. Yamcha mumbled something inaudible and readjusted himself.

"It's seven and I'm getting breakfast. You may do whatever you wish but at least try to be up by eight." Tien said as he stood and stretched.

"Mmmkay." Yamcha replied as he quickly pulled the now vacant blankets into a pile around him.

Tien got dressed and headed out into the hotel, barely remembering to take his room key with him. He thought briefly about heading to the pool again but quickly decided against it. He had already seen quite a few families headed through the hallways in their bathing suits and he didn't want to deal with a bunch of small children splashing around. Especially this early. After a while he managed to wander down to a small breakfast bar on the first floor and grabbed some toast. He really wasn't too hungry but he had nothing to do until Yamcha was up and about.

It seemed amazing in hindsight how quickly their relationship had changed. They arrived as friends and became lovers only a couple of days later. It was fast but Tien felt it was the right choice. His heart fluttered as he realized he could call Yamcha his boyfriend without any falsity behind the statement. The thought was exciting. Tien hadn't realized how badly he wanted to be with Yamcha, romantically, until it happened. Now he couldn't keep his mind off the topic. What would they tell their friends? Would one of them have to move? How in the universe was he so lucky?

"I'm glad to see you're still here."

Tien turned to see Komai standing nearby and grinning. He returned the smile.

"So am I." he replied, placing his half finished toast down. "Thanks for the advice, by the way. You were right."

"Nothing a good talk can't fix." Komai said. "I really can't stay and chat for long but do tell Yamcha I said congratulations, would you?"

"Of course." Tien said. He prayed to whatever Gods might be listening that Komai was referring to the baseball game. Komai left and soon Tien was sitting on his own again. It seemed his breakfast wasn't going to stay a quiet one, however, as he noticed the kid from the day before running over to his table.

"Good morning Mr. Tien!" Giru said. "Is Mr. Yamcha with you?"

"He's still asleep. The game yesterday used up a lot of his energy." Tien explained. Giru's grin faltered slightly but he stayed upbeat.

"Okay. Can you tell him thank you for me? For the ball?" he asked. Tien smiled.

"Sure. I'll tell him." he said. Giru beamed and ran off to his parents.

"Thank you!" he shouted as he left the room with a big wave. Tien waved back. He was aware that a few other people in the area were staring at him but he didn't want to be rude.

A few more minutes passed before Tien had enough of the slightly awkward silence of the breakfast bar and grabbed some fruit to bring to Yamcha. He headed back to the room and despite his problems working the key card managed to get inside. He could hear the shower running and placed the fruit he had grabbed on a small table along the window. He took a few moments to appreciate the view. Yamcha had picked a really nice room. Most of the city was visible and if you looked far enough you could see the nearby lake on the horizon. As much as Tien usually disliked cities he had to admit that they had their moments. The shower clicked off and Tien walked over to the bathroom.

"I'm back. I brought you some food." he said loudly. He hoped Yamcha could hear him through the door. A slightly muffled "Thanks" confirmed this and Tien decided to fix up the bed while he waited for Yamcha to get dressed. He wasn't about to let a hotel worker sort out this chaos of blankets. A few minutes later he had arranged the bed into a passable state.

"So, where's the food?" Yamcha asked as he left the bathroom, half dressed with a towel on his head. Tien gestured towards the table. Yamcha walked over to it and grinned. "An apple and an orange? Truly I am living the fine life."

"Next time try waking up in time to join me and you might get toast." Tien said, joining him. Yamcha laughed.

"Toast? Truly, you spoil me." he said. Tien smiled back at him.

"Only the best for you." he said, pressing a kiss to Yamcha's forehead.

"I had no idea you were such a romantic." Yamcha teased.

"Really? Then what do you call last night?" Tien asked. Yamcha took a moment to consider it.

"Something that was a long time coming that I don't regret in the slightest." he concluded, wrapping his arms around Tien. Tien returned the embrace.

"I was thinking the same thing." he said quietly, eyes closed as he took in the moment. They stood there for a while in a peaceful silence. After the chaotic whirlwind that had been the start of their trip it was nice to take a moment to reflect on all of it. Eventually they parted.

"Well, if we're going to visit my grandparents, we'd better get going." Yamcha said. "Their nursing home is around an hour from here."

"You sure you want me to come with you?" Tien asked. He was starting to feel a little nervous. "What if they don't... approve?"

"Tien, the last time I saw them my grandpa wouldn't stop asking if I had found my "special someone" yet and my grandma was telling me about all the cute boys she had seen volunteering at the home. They know I'm bi and they'll love you." Yamcha assured him. He smiled, gave Tien a quick peck on the cheek, and started packing a day bag. Tien allowed himself a small blush as he helped Yamcha pack. He wasn't one hundred percent convinced that Yamcha's grandparents would like him but he trusted his partner and that was enough for him.


	6. Chapter 6

Brightflower Nursing Home

"There's my little Yams!"

Yamcha laughed and hugged the elderly lady that had walked over to him. As soon they told the front desk who they were the lady had shown up in under a minute.

"It's good to see you grandma." Yamcha said. The lady smiled and then noticed Tien standing nearby.

"And who is this?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.

"This is Tien." Yamcha said. Tien gave a slight bow.

"It's an honor to meet you, ma'am." he said formally. The old lady giggled.

"Just call me Berga, sweetheart." She grinned and turned to Yamcha. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked excitedly. Yamcha blushed and reached over to hold Tien's hand.

"He is. Old friend, recent boyfriend." Yamcha said. The lady clapped her hands with glee and laughed.

"Oh, that's wonderful dear! I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed. Yamcha's blush darkened a bit and he smiled.

"Thanks gram. Where's grandpa?" he said.

"Matcha's in the Bingo hall." said the lady. "I think he was winning."

"That'd be a first. Should we wait for him?" Yamcha said. His grandmother shook her head.

"The game's almost finished. He shouldn't be long. We can just head on in." she said.

Berga led the way down the hall. The place was clean, as expected, and each door had a unique nameplate for the resident. It seemed the staff tried to use as many flowers as possible to mask the unmistakable medical smell in the air as they could be seen on nearly every flat surface. Most of the people they passed smiled at them but Tien was still a little uncomfortable. He felt very out of place. Luckily he didn't have much time to dwell on it as they soon reached the Bingo hall.

Berga wasn't exaggerating when she said it was a hall. The ceiling was nearly three stories high and it would take a full minute to walk from end to end. There were at least thirty people in the hall and most of them were playing Bingo. After a few minutes of observing someone won the game and the staff started to clean up the cards. Berga led them over to a nearby table and the elderly man standing there got up slowly.

"Win anything this time gramps?" Yamcha said. The man laughed and pulled him into a brief hug.

"Nothing today but I'll get it eventually." he said. "Who's your friend here?"

"It's nice to meet you sir. I'm Tenshinhan." Tien said. Matcha grinned and shook his hand heartily.

"He's Yamcha's boyfriend." Berga said happily.

"Really? Our grandson got himself a big one." Matcha joked. Yamcha rolled his eyes while Tien blushed.

"Tien may be easy to fluster but that doesn't mean you should do it." Yamcha said.

"Right right, sorry, that's your job." Matcha said. He and Berga laughed while both Tien and Yamcha turned a darker shade of red.

"Before you ask, yes, they're always like this." Yamcha said to Tien. Tien gave him a small smile.

"Sounds fun." he said. Yamcha rolled his eyes again.

"Do you two want some tea?" Berga asked. She smiled so sweetly Tien couldn't find it in him to refuse her. She lead the group back to one of the rooms that had a nameplate for her and Matcha on the door. She busied herself finding the right kind of tea while Matcha sat down and told stories of varying topics.

"I'll make the tea. I don't want ethier of you to have to wait in line for the kettle for too long." Yamcha declared. He took the box of tea from his grandmother and headed out the door. As soon as he left Tien could feel the awkwardness creeping up on him again. He really didn't know what to do.

"Uh... You have a very nice room." he said. Not the best conversation topic but it wasn't a lie. The room looked more like a small apartment than something you'd find in a nursing home. Berga smiled sweetly.

"Thank you dearie." she said. "We do our best to make it feel like home. Even more so since Yamcha began visiting."

"Speaking of Yamcha..." said Matcha. "What's the story with you two?"

"A long one, to start." Tien said with a small laugh. "We met about twenty years ago."

"Really? And what romantic gesture started things between you?" Matcha said with the smallest hint of sarcasm.

"Besides me breaking his leg?" Tien said.

"Now what would you do that for?" Berga asked.

"We were opponents. The Budokai is no place for half hearted sparring." Tien said. He took a few more seconds to think on it. "... I suppose I was angry as well. Not because of anything he did but... back then, when I first saw him, I guess I thought he was cute. I was young and didn't know what to do with feelings like that so I took it out on him."

"Love at first sight." Berga said with a soft smile.

"Definitely not love. A crush, perhaps, but that was all. After the tournament we became friends. He was also dating Bulma at the time and I knew that I didn't have a chance with him. So I forgot about my feelings and moved on." Tien explained.

"What made you remember them?" Matcha asked.

"Lots of things." Tien said while trying not to blush too hard. "Little things that I didn't notice until a day or so ago. Looking back it seems so obvious."

"It always does. It took me a solid year to realize Matcha was trying to flirt with me." Berga said. She laughed gently and placed a hand on her husbands shoulder. "Considering he barely talked to me for the better half of it."

"Zedaki family shyness. It runs in the blood." Matcha defended himself. "All the men in our lineage start out shy as a sparrow."

"Bulma told me Yamcha used to be like that." Tien said. He smiled wistfully. "To me he's always been confident. I've barely seen him act shy at all."

"I'm willing to bet that when he did it was around you, correct?" Matcha said. He grinned when Tien nodded. "I knew it. The feeling never quite goes away."

"Thank god these men get over it in the first place." Berga said, earning a laugh from everyone in the room. She sat down on the corner of the bed and laced her fingers together. "Now, Tenshinhan, I had a question for you."

"Uh, alright." Tien said. He tensed up slightly. If Yamcha's grandparents really did disapprove now would be the time they'd tell him. Yamcha was out of the room and Tien was too polite to leave the seniors alone.

"There's no need to be nervous, dearie." Berga assured him. Tien relaxed a little bit. Berga smiled again and continued. "I can already tell you care a lot about our little Yams. But he's been hurt before and I hate to see him upset. You said your relationship only changed to romance about a day ago. That means your intentions towards Yamcha must have changed as well. All I'd like to know is what those intentions are."

"I don't want to hurt him." Tien started, after a moment of thought. "I've seen firsthand what happened to him after his relationship with Bulma ended. I never want him to go through something like that again. I can't promise their won't be bumps along the way, relationships are never perfect, but I can promise that I'll take care of him."

"That's what I hoped to hear." Berga said.

"He'll take care of you too." Matcha added. "I saw the way he was looking at you. There's a Zedaki man in love, for sure."

"Thank you." Tien said. His shoulders dropped as the tension he had been holding onto faded away. "Thank both of you."

"There's nothing to thank us for. We just want to see our grandson happy." Berga said.

"Tea's here!" The door opened and Yamcha walked in holding a tray with four teacups on it. The room was quickly filled with the sounds of polite small talk as the tea was poured. Time flew by and before Tien knew it goodbyes were being said.

"It was an honor to meet the both of you." Tien said with a small bow. Berga laughed softly.

"Still so formal. Maybe our grandson will learn a thing or two from you." she said while eyeing Yamcha.

"We wish you both the best. Do visit again soon." Matcha said, shaking hands with Tien. After a few more words they were out the door and headed towards downtown.

"So, what did you think?" Yamcha asked.

"They're very nice people." Tien said. "I'm glad they like me."

"I told you they would." Yamcha said smugly.

"Indeed you did." Tien said with a nod. "You didn't tell my your shyness is hereditary."

"They brought that up?" Yamcha said, his cheeks starting to turn pink. "What else did they say?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." Tien said. He gave Yamcha a sly grin and reached out to hold his hand. Yamcha rolled his eyes but took a step closer all the same.

They walked in comfortable silence for a while. Occasionally Yamcha would point out a store or building he recognized. Of course they were stopped by fans quite a few times but it didn't bother Tien as much as it had before. After all, he could say with confidence now that Yamcha was his boyfriend. He found that the people taking the pictures would ask him to join in more and more often the longer they walked. Anytime he would feel awkward Yamcha would grip his hand a little tighter and smile at him. Despite how crowded the downtown area was they weren't swarmed. It was after a few hours that they ran into someone they knew.

"Hey lovebirds! I didn't expect to see you out here!"

"Cela! How are you?" Yamcha said with a grin. Cela, the reporter from the day before, high-fived him and gave Tien a nod.

"I'm enjoying my day off." she said. "You guys?"

"We just got back from visiting my grandparents." Yamcha explained. "I thought I'd show Tien around the place before we leave tomorrow."

"Well then, I hope you have a great time! I've gotta run though, I've got a date with Mang." Cela said. She waved as she started to walk away. "It was great seeing you!"

"You'd better not use us as an excuse to be late!" Yamcha shouted after her. Cela just gave him a pair of finger guns and laughed.

"She's... quite the character." Tien remarked.

"You should meet her girlfriend. She's like Cela turned up to eleven." Yamcha said.

"Sounds like fun. Speaking of, is there anywhere in particular you wanted to show me? It's starting to get late." Tien said. Yamcha snapped the fingers on his free hand and turned to the left.

"It's this way, and thank you for the reminder." he said as he led the way down the street. After a minute or so they came across a produce vendor on the corner.

"Good to see you again Mr. Zedaki." said the man behind the stand.

"You too, Mr. Salandio." Yamcha replied with a small wave. He greeted several more vendors in a similar fashion as they passed many small stores with highly decorated fronts.

"I take it you come here a lot?" Tien remarked after the latest hello.

"Every time I'm in the city. The small stores are always the best. They have a ton of unique things. Like this place!" Yamcha said as he directed Tien towards a small shop that looked a lot like someone's home. A small bell above the door dinged as they entered. Yamcha went to chat with the owners as Tien wandered around. It seemed whomever owned this establishment loved martial arts as various colors of gi were hanging along racks next to books about teaching yourself self defense.

"Tien, holy shit, come see this." Yamcha half whispered from across the store. Tien joined him in looking at the wall display of rather familiar looking action figures and his eyes widened.

"Are those...?" he started saying before Yamcha cut him off with a barely muffled laugh.

"I know right? Who even buys these?" he said. The figured in question were unmistakable in their resemblance to Tien and Yamcha's friend group. Buff men with blond spikey hair stood beside green aliens with capes. There was even one that vaguely resembled Frieza.

"I can't believe someone actually took the time to make these..." Tien mumbled. One particular figure near the back of the display case caught his eye. He nudged Yamcha with his elbow. "I think he wears that haircut better than your did."

"Hold on, what?!" Yamcha said, leaning over to look. "That's me!"

"Or at least it's someone's impression of you." Tien said. "I think part of him is melting."

"Melted or not I fucking love it." Yamcha said with a small laugh. "Let's try to find one of you."

"We really don't have to-"

"Yes, we do!"

It didn't take very long to find what they were looking for.

"There he is!" Yamcha exclaimed, pointing at one figure that was nearly hidden behind the others.

"We'll I'll be dammed." Tien said with a small laugh of his own. "They really didn't miss anyone, did they?"

"The third eye is a different color than the main two. How do you even mess that up?" Yamcha pointed out. After a few more minutes of looking at the figures Yamcha started to walk towards the exit. "Ready to go?"

"I'll meet you outside. I want to look around a bit more." Tien said as a nearby item caught his eye. After picking it up and paying for it he hid it carefully in a bag. He didn't get the chance to surprise Yamcha very often, especially with a gift. The whole incident was nearly forgotten as they spent the rest of their daylight hours visiting other stores and eating dinner. Once the sun started going down they began heading back towards the hotel.

"Feel like a flight?" Yamcha asked, already hovering about an inch off the ground. Tien smiled and matched his height.

"Why not? Lead the way." he said. The two finished their trip home soaring above the buildings and sometimes rising up to the clouds. By the time they touched down at the hotel Tien could barely remember how at the same time the day before he had been so full of worry. That night he smiled as he fell asleep with Yamcha in his arms. The future was looking bright.


	7. Chapter 7

The end of the weekend came much too fast.

It was all Tien could focus on. His regular schedule had been thrown off the rails as soon as he had first kissed Yamcha and he knew returning home would require a lot of changes in his life. Yet he wanted this trip to last just a little bit longer.

"Hey, you gonna finish packing or do you plan on leaving all your stuff here?" Yamcha asked. He tossed a shirt in Tien's direction. He caught it and was tempted to throw it back but decided not to.

"I'm pretty sure you've got more than you came with." Tien observed. Yamcha shrugged.

"Most of it is stuff from fans and things I bought. The usual." he said. Tien smiled and turned back to his suitcase. After a few moments he decided now was a good time to give Yamcha the present he had purchased the day before.

"Speaking of gifts..." he started, gently pulling a paper wrapped object out of his bag, "I have one for you."

"Really?" Yamcha exclaimed. Tien laughed softly at his surprise and walked over to him.

"Really. I picked it up yesterday at that store we went to." he said. He held it up. Yamcha raised an eyebrow and started smirking.

"It's not one of those figures, is it?" he teased. Tien smiled slyly and started to lower the package.

"Well, if you want one I'm sure I have time to head back to the store before we leave..." he said. He laughed as Yamcha gave him a light punch on the shoulder. He handed over the present to Yamcha and smiled. "Just open it."

"With pleasure." Yamcha quipped as he started to tear at the paper. It didn't take long to uncover his gift. "... Tien, is this...?"

"I know. I was shocked to see it too." Tien said.

Yamcha was holding a picture frame. Inside of it was an old newspaper clipping. It was yellowed and starting to fade but the headline was still visible. "Budokai win a close call; New champion says "I never thought I'd come away from this with friends." Right next to the text was a black and white picture of two young men. They were both looking at the camera with smiles, one bright and confident while the other was shy and new. One had his arm around the other and was gleefully holding a peace sign with one hand. It looked like the second man was trying to follow his example although it was obvious he'd never done so before. It was the two of them, right after the tournament, nearly twenty years ago.

"I thought it was fitting. Plus it's the only picture of us together I've seen in a while." Tien said. "What do you think?"

"... I think it's dorky as hell." Yamcha said. He stepped forewords and put his arms around Tien's neck. "Therefore, it's perfect."

"I'm glad you think so." Tien said. He smiled as Yamcha leaned in for a kiss. It looked like things weren't going to be too different after all.

After the finally finished packing up their things and cleaning up the room they headed down to the lobby. They had just stepped out of the elevator doors when someone came running up to them.

"Mr. Yamcha!"

It was Giru again. Yamcha grinned and offer the boy a high five that was enthusiastically taken.

"Hey there buddy!" he said. "I hope you had fun at the game yesterday."

"It was so cool!" Giru said happily. "Thank you for hitting that ball to me."

"No problem little Taitan." Yamcha said. Giru giggled and shyly held up said baseball.

"My dad said not to ask 'cause it would be rude but... would you sign it for me? Please?" he asked.

"Of course I will! There's nothing rude about asking." Yamcha assured him. After a brief moment of searching he located a marker and penned a message on the ball. Tien caught a brief glimpse of it before Yamcha handed the ball back to Giru. "To Giru - You're my MVP - Yamcha Zedaki." Right next to it was a small drawing of a star.

"Thanks so much!" Giru exclaimed. Yamcha smiled and knelt down to look at the kid in the eyes.

"I can't wait to see you playing in the big leagues someday. Promise you'll hit a ball to me when you get there?" he said. Giru smiled wider and nodded. Soon his parents showed up and after taking a picture they left.

"Nice message." Tien remarked. "Better hope no villlians confuse that ball with a Dragon Ball."

"Oh, ha ha." Yamcha said sarcastically, nudging Tien with an elbow. Tien smiled and grabbed Yamcha by the hand.

"It really was a nice thing to say." he said. "I didn't know you could be so encouraging."

"I'm full of surprises." Yamcha said with a light blush. The two of them headed towards the front desk to check out.

"Enjoy your stay?" Komai asked them as they approached.

"Absolutely. Thanks for everything." Yamcha said, handing over his keycard. Komai smiled and turned to Tien.

"And what about you, Mr. Tenshinhan?" he said. Tien handed over his room key with a grin.

"Better than I ever would have expected. Thanks again for the advice." he said, noting the inquisitive look Yamcha gave him.

"My pleasure. I hope you two have a wonderful day. Perhaps I will see you again in the future." Komai said with a bow.

"I don't doubt it." Yamcha said. He picked up his bag again and headed towards the door with Tien in tow. "Be seeing you, Komai!"

"Farewell for now, friends." Komai said. He smiled and waved. "We at the Anzen Hotel look forward to your next visit!"

They had barely gotten out the front doors when someone else they knew found them.

"I see you two are leaving. Have a fun trip?" Cela asked them with a wide grin.

"Yes and probably thanks to you to be honest. You did get the news crews off our backs." Tien said. Cela winked and added a finger gun for good measure.

"You're welcome. I'm happy to help." she said. "I'm also happy to see that Yamcha finally has someone. He's been whining about being single for years."

"So were you." Yamcha pointed that out.

"Yeah but I stopped years ago. Who knows, maybe sometime we can go on a double date. I'm sure Mang would be up for it."

"She probably would be." Yamcha agreed. "Anyways, we should get going now."

"Right, right, I won't keep you any longer." Cela said. She jabbed a finger towards Tien. "Just remember you owe me an interview the next time I see you."

"I know. I'll remember." Tien said. He waved as Cela ran off.

"Advice from Komai and an interview with Cela? If I didn't know any better I'd think you were trying to steal my city friends." Yamcha said as they started walking again.

The rest of their walk through the city was fairly silent. It wasn't that they had nothing to say but rather they were comfortable with the quiet. It wasn't awkward like when they had first arrived. Tien found himself reflecting on the trip as they went. He had come into the city somewhat bored and unimpressed only to fulfill a promise. Now he was leaving happier than he had been in a long time hand in hand with someone he loved.

 _"It's a good thing Chiaotzu didn't tell me anything."_ Tien thought. _"I wouldn't have believed him."_

"Ready to go home?" Yamcha asked as they reached the outskirts of the city. He was already hovering about a foot off the ground. Tien smiled and matched his height. He took a moment to appreciate his now boyfriend. With his genuine smile and bright eyes he almost seemed to glow in the sunlight. How had Tien not realized his feelings sooner? He gently kissed Yamcha on the cheek and took his hand once more.

"Ready. Let's go."


End file.
